It’s the month of October, and for many Christians who are well-informed about church history, that means that we once again can celebrate the start of the Protestant Reformation with the publication of Martin Luther’s “Ninety-Five Theses” against certain errors of the Roman Catholic Church in 1517. This should remind us of the Reformation principle of semper reformanda, or the activity of “always reforming”. This is a recognition that the body of Christ has not yet reached “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,” or “mature manhood”, as Paul puts it in his letter to the Ephesians (4:13, NASB). If you’re devoted to this principle, and to the purity, wholeness, and faithfulness of Christians as a whole, you likely are in agreement with me in the opinion that most of American Christianity needs to be reformed in major areas. However, it’s evident from my experience that many Christians disagree over what those areas are, and how to fix them. Nevertheless, if we can start from the presupposition that reformation is needed, as the professing body of Christ needed it in the 1500s, then I can at least have your ear as I describe to you how I believe reformation should be endeavored. And I think that the time for reformation is more ripe for opportunity than it has been in decades, if not centuries.

Revival is Here

To all who have been paying attention to major events in the U.S. and the western world, it should be obvious that the Lord God is bringing about a major work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of His people, and in the lives of thousands of unbelievers. We ought to rejoice in this, but we must also be extremely careful that we don’t miss an opportunity to work together with the Spirit, as we labor alongside our brethren in the ministry of the Lord’s kingdom. Although there is much to be thankful for, these benefits and blessings that are being showered upon us also reveal to us major failings in our common Christian living in American society.

If you don’t see how revival has been experienced for the past several months in the U.S., you merely need to do an Internet search of the recent trends for Christianity, religiosity, and social conservatism in the U.S. First, there’s a clear rise in an interest in biblical Christianity, as can be seen from the actions and words of major thought leaders, such as Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, Donald Trump, and others. Christianity has been growing in appeal and relevance to many social elites and public figures in the past year or so. Even more exciting is the fact that there’s been an intensified interest from young adults in biblical Christianity, and Christian religion. More young people in their twenties have begun to attend churches than ever in decades, especially among young men. The younger generations are increasingly leaving secularism, materialism, and hedonism, in favor of Christ-centered spirituality, certainty, and hope. The fact that young men seem to be outdoing their female counterparts in seeking Christianity and conservative social values shows us that they’re bucking up against the feministic dominance of our prevailing culture. But besides just showing a general interest in traditional forms of Christianity, it’s clear that many of these seekers are genuine converts to the Lord Jesus, who are trusting in Him alone for salvation.

The Revival Has Been a Testing

All of these encouraging happenings can easily be undervalued as we think about how to respond. Because along with the positive works of God that are taking place, the Lord is also showing us that the American body of Christ is failing to live up to the biblical Christianity that many have embraced, or are seeking. One instance of this is the alarming number of young people who are abandoning the popular models of evangelical Christianity in favor of the more ritualistic, liturgical ones, such as Lutheranism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism. What are they leaving behind so that they can experience seemingly ancient ceremonies, literature, hierarchy, and traditions? They are leaving the popular emotionalistic, business-like, entertainment-oriented forms of so-called Christianity that major on working up people’s emotions with music, and entertaining their fancies and pleasures with shallow motivational talks and recreational activities. The people embracing the liturgical traditions are looking for a rigorous structure, historical-rootedness, sensory experience, and social unity that they’ve been lacking for most of their lives. And these are some areas in which most of American Christianity has fallen short of the biblical standard.

There are also at least a couple other dangers presenting themselves in the midst of this revival that we need to guard ourselves against. The fact is that the Lord is working to save souls and awaken saints often in spite of our careful attention to doctrinal precision, and our use of institutional organizations. Most of the evangelism that’s yielding fruit is being done through small online Internet ministries, and individual efforts in real life. What I’m saying is that seemingly most effective groups in the revival aren’t the Reformed and long-standing ministries with the big names, but people like Charlie Kirk, who wasn’t associated with any well-known Protestant organization. This revival isn’t glorifying the big ministries that most Reformed or Calvinistic believers are enamored with, but the smaller ones. And we shouldn’t want to have it any other way.

But what this teaches us is that parachurch ministries aren’t the best means for reaching unbelievers, but our regular, everyday interactions, and our efforts as localized church bodies. They obviously have a place, but the emphasis of our work of making disciples of the nations must be placed on the local gatherings of believers, smaller groups, and families. Which is where reformation needs to take place. And this reformation needs to take place among Reformed and historically Protestant groups more than any. For it’s not to the churches that attempt to carry out the Reformation ideals that most young people are flocking, but to the pseudo-biblical groups of Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Protestants need to be more effective in reaching unbelievers, and especially the youth and young adults. And this will require a reformation of masculinity and family life.

The Wake-Up Call of Kirk’s Assassination

The influence and assassination of Charlie Kirk has given us a glimpse of the way forward in our efforts at reformation. He exemplified most of what is lacking in most American evangelical circles. He was a bold, courageous, loving, and wise Christian husband, father, organizer, and evangelist. And these are virtues that need to replace what are the dominant characteristics of American Christianity currently. Further, it’s this type of man that is needed to advocate and effect reform in the body of Christ. Kirk also represented nearly everything that popular American culture hates, and much of what popular evangelical culture fights against. However, he also highlights some of the dangerous tendencies that American evangelicals have long been distracting themselves with.

I bring up brother Kirk because his death was clearly a tipping point in the revival that has been occurring. And also because it serves as a wake-up call to all American Christians to make sure they’re ready for the spiritual war that we’ve always been engaged in. And for a long time, most of American evangelicalism has been fighting this war poorly. The results of this ineffectiveness can be seen in the increasing depravity of American culture, and the rampant hypocrisy, worldliness, irrelevance that much of American Christianity has long been beset with. The time is now here to realize that reformation is needed, and to do our utmost where we are to promote it in our lives, and the lives of our fellowships. In the rest of this discussion about reformation, I just want to point out several of the major failings the American expression of Christianity has, and how Scripture teaches to address them.

What Needs Reforming

Some of the things we should address include unbiblical leadership, effeminate men, masculine women, business-minded churches, obsession with politics, self-absorption, and cowardice. Please join me, and let me know what you think, as we seek to identify our besetting sins and mistakes, and correct them with God’s Word. May we do this in our ultimate pursuit to know the Lord Jesus, and His redemptive crucifixion in our place, that He may be increasingly seen in our character. Pray for this revival and reformation!